Motion-controlling mechanism



1,635 913 July 12 1927' J, W. WATSON MOTION CONTROLLING MEGHANSM Filed June 6, 1919 2 SheetsShee?. l

INVENTOR ATTQRNEYS July 12, 1921. 1,635,913

J. W. WATSON DOTION CONTROLLING MECHANISM Filed June 6, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR AroRNEys Patented July l2, 1927.

UNITED STATES g'resin3 JOHNWARREN WATSON, F WAYNE, PENNSYLVANIA.

MOTION-CONTROLLING IVIECHA`l.\T1'S1VLy Application filed June 6,

This invention relates to a novel combination for controlling or regulating' relative movement between any two elements, and in particular relates to recoil or rebound checks for motor cars and other vehicles in which it is desired to control and modify the recoil or rebound caused by the action of the springs in tending to` assume their normal position after deflection. If desired, my invention may be employed in connection with any other mechanism for the purpose ofretarding or controlling relative movement of two bodies in one direction without retarding their relative movement in another direetion.

A particular object of my invention is to provide a friction mechanism which is capable of offering a substantially constant resistance to the relative movement of two bodies in one direction throughout a given range of said relative movement.

Another object of my invention is to provide a friction, motion-controlling mechanism which, under all normal conditions of operation, cannot be caused to jam or become locked against operation.

Another object of *my invention is to provide a friction mechanism which will not be appreciably affected, in so far as concerns the amount of resistance which the mechanism offers, as wear occurs on the friction members.

Another object of my invention is to provide a mechanism which automatically acts in one direction and which acts in that direction ata speed sufficient to keep pace with any speed which is normally likely to take place between the elements to which certain of the relatively movable members of the mechanism may be respectively attached.

A further object of'my invention is to provide a mechanism, for the purpose as stated, including a drum member, adapted to be secured to one of two relatively movable ele-- ments, a friction member adapted to be secured to said other relatively movable element, a spring connecting said drum and said friction member, and means connected to said spring, and so associated with other parts of the mechanism as to render said spring subject only to simple winding stresses. `By simple winding stressesv is meant, stresses which are in line with, or which lie wholly within, planes bounding the 1919. Serial No. 302,218.

spring proper and which ,planes are perpendicular to the axis of the spring. In-thef 'vide a mechanism in which the main-spring element housed or boXed or in some other way maintained within predetermined limits, so that, regardless of the extent to which this spring' may be Vwound up or unwound, y

it is incapable of exceeding these limits and hence is incapable of rubbing or binding, or in any other waycoming in moving contact with, other relatively movable parts of the mechanism. Another object of thus housing, or otherwise maintaining within limits, this necessarily-heavy main spring, is to facilitate the assembling and disassembling of the mechanism.

Another object of my invention is to provide a mechanismy simple to construct and whichwill stand up satisfactorily under the hard usage to which it may be subjected, as, for example, when used in connection with a motor car or other vehicle for the purpose of dampening and controlling the reaction of the vehicle body supporting springs.

Another object of my invention is to provide a mechanism ,capable of attachment to two relatively movable elements, whose relative movementl in one direction it is desired to retard, without necessitating the use of universal kjoints or other like mechanical means which might tend to wear and to rattle. Such a mechanism has a wide range of use as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

Various combinations of elements and different means could be readily employedto obtain the results secured by the mechanism disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, the illustrations being merely by way of example.

One type ofthis invention is shown by the accompanying vdrawings in which Figure l is a sectional view of one embodiment of this type. Figure 2 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, on line A--A of Figure l. The sectional view shown in Figure l is on the line B-B shown in Figure 2.' Both of these sections are looking in the direction as respectively indicated by the arrows.

Figure 3 is a View in elevation, partly in section, on the line llt-A ot Figure l, but shows aslight modiiication in ythe arrangement ot -some l'ew ot the members. Figure 4 is a partial cross section on line B-B. ot Figure 2, showing` a modification ,providing lior external adjusting means. ln all tour ligures, like numbers rei'er `to like parts Referring to Fig. 2, l and 2 represent relatively movable elements whose motion, one relative to the other, it is desired 'to check, regulate or control. rlhese `elements are illustrated merely diagrammatieally tor the purpose of indicating .that this linventionl may be applied and utilized in connection with any elements which move, one relative to the other, and vwhose movement it is ydesired to effectively control.

i drum member 5 is carried by 'the element l and, securely lixedto the member, by

`means of a right hand or .lett `hand thread,

dependingupon the direction of rotation of the other members, .is a hollow cylindrical member 4e. Rotatable within this member 4 is a tlangedstud 5. lt desired, :tor the purpose et minimizing wear or for the purpose o'i' facilitating renewal in the event oil wear, a bushing 6 may be interposed between the member 'el andthe flanged stud Priveted, or held by other suitable means, to the tlanged portion of the stud 5, isa drumdilre member 7. Vilhile this drum-like member is here illustrated as 'being circular in section, it may, it desired, be termed with an oval section or a section of some other form 'for the purpose ot providing various difterent resultsto suit various applications'ol the mechanism. Attached to this member 7, as tor example, by rivets i8, is shown a exible member 8 which rides on member 7 kand is also secured to -`element 2. Membery 7 also has secured to it, as 'tor example by means ol rivets 1(5,fband 14 and rivets 17, a triction member 23 which engages `drum member cSecured to member 4, as for example by a screw or stud 20, is a spring 9. The other end ot spring 9 Yis secured to spring box 'lO by means ot stud 2l. Springbox 10 is tree to rotate on member l, Ias .is also spring` boxicover l1 tree to rotate onmember l and on a portion ot drum member 3. Secured rto member l0, as tor example, by rivets 25, is a disc 26. By means otl stud l2, which is secured to disc 26, andby meansot band 13 and rivets l5, the disc member 26 is secured to lfriction member 23. Friction member 23 may be provided with a backing 24, as shown, it' desired, lor the purpose of additional strength or for the purpose ot flexibly maintaining any given curvatureto member .23. Cover member ,19 securedL lo drum member 3by any suitable means, such as, tor example, by screws 22. The drum member 3 and the friction member 23 eonstitute one type ot "trictionally engaging members, although it is apparent that these members may be made in any other shape than that olf a drum or incomplete ring' and relatively associated" in various other ways than that just described and still incorporate therein the essentials et my invention.

the embodiment ot my invention, as illustrated, is so attached to elements l and 2 as to retard or control the relative separation et lthese `elements without retarding their relative approach. The operation of the de- `vice, as shown in the prsent instance, may be .described as follows :Spring 9, `ch, in assembling, is wound up to any dl ired tension, is constantly tending to revolve spring box l0 and disc 26 with relation to member a', and by means'otl stud l2, band i3 and rivets l5, springt) is hence also constantly tending to rotate friction member around drum member This tendency, however, oi'.E spring 9 to thus rotate member 23 with relation to drum 3, is resisted by means et flexible member 8 which is secured to element 2 and also `to member 23 by means of rivets iti; .member 7, rivets 1G, band la and rivets 1T. Them however, elements l and 2are caused to approach each other, this tendency ot spring 9, to rotate these parts `as above, becomes an action and the parts are thus rotated to` I whatever extent is permitted by the extent kot approach olf' elements l and lWhen elements l and 2 are caused'to sepa rate, their separation is resisted by the friction 'between friction member 2? and `drum 3. The operation ot this Ylictional re ance may be explained as tollowsz-lvhen elements land 2 thus se iniratefllerible member "8 is made to pull and rotate member 7, which, in turn, 4through band A, pulls triction member 23, which, in turn, is resisted at its other end by spring 9 through spring box l0, disk 2G, stud l2 and band 13. lt willibe seen that while spring 9 may be coinparatively weak, a relatively much greater force will be `required at the other end oil' member 23 to move this member around drum 3 against the resistance ot said spring. Due to the friction and wrappingaction be tween members 23 and 3, any vresistance offered by the spring 9 is greatly augmented. There is a direct relation between the strength ot spring 9 and the ultimate resistance-offered by :the mechanism in retarding vthe separation ot elements l and'2, but, as stated above, lthe ultimate resistance, due to the 'triction and wrapping ot' member 23 around drum 3, is many times the resistance offered by spring 9 itself.

Figure 8 shows a slight modilication over Figures `l and 2in that instead offtwo membersS and 23, a single member .is used by extending' member 8 through a slot 77 in member 7 and continuingzj-this llexible member S around the drum member 3 and securlou llo

ing it to spring 9 .in the samemanner asis member' 28y secured to spring 9 `in 'the em-` bodiment shown in Figures 'l and 2. rIhus, the iexible member 8, in addition to its single pulling function, asshown in Figures land il, acts valso as the frictionmember bearing against drum 3. If desired, member 8. in this latter form, may be spliced. or otherwise lioined together and made o different materials in order to provide a .material of friction qualities for that portion which comes in contact with drnnrand a material. of suitable tensile strength or non-stretching quality :for that portion which does not come in contact with drum member 3.

If desired, some form of external adjusting means may be provided, as, for example, some such construction as shown in Figure 4, in which member 4 extends through a hole in member 3 and can be turned to adjust spring 9 by means of a squared head 28 which is integral with member 4. Any desired adjustment is then held by means of lock nut 29;

As stated above, a particular object of this invention is to provide a mechanism which will present a substantially constant frictional resistance to relative movementv of two elements within the normal range of such movement. This is accomplishedy by viding uniform contact area between friction members 8 and 23, or, as in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, between friction members 3 and 8. It will be noted that this contact area remains constant during any relative movement between elements l and 2 within the total working range of the device. The only factor, therefore, which can alter the frictional resistance is the increasing tension of spring 9 as elements l and 2 are caused to separate and as spring 9 is consequently more tightly wound. This increase in the tension of spring 9, however, for a given separation of elements l and 2, may be made as small as desired by increasing the length of spring 9. It will be readily understood that the increase in tension of spring 9, for any given movement thereof, will be far less if spring 9 is, for example, ten feet long than if spring 9 is, for example, only two feet long. Making spring 9 of ample length, the increase in resistance offered by the mechanism may quite faithfully be said to remain substantially constant throughout the entire working range of the mechanism.

Wear on. member 23, shown in Figures 1 promeans for relatively; moving the Y friction members in one direction and non-flexible means (which in the present instance is constituted bythe member` 7) for maintaining, throughout any relative movement of the friction members within the range of the device in one direction, the saine total con` tacting section, or friction surface, of one of these members in contact with the other, or any lmrtial contacting section, er friction surface, of one of these members in contact with the other. v

While I have herein described certain embodin'ients of my invention with considerable particularity, I do not thereby intend to specifically limit myself thereto, as various changes and modifications may be made vin the details of construct-ion and arrangement of the various parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In mechanism adapte-d to control relative motion between two elements, a member adapted to be secured to one of said elements, a member revolvable with relation to said first-mentioned member, a fiexible member adapted to be secured to said other element and which is wrapped upon said revolvable member and which also frictionally engages said first-mentioned member, and a spring connecting said fiexible member to said first-mentioned member. `i

2. In mechanism for retarding motion between two relatively movable elements, a drum adapted to be secured to one of said elements, a member revolvable with relation to said drum, a friction member in contact with said drum and connected to said revolvable member and a spring for relatively revolving said friction member and said revolvable member around said drum and which also causes said friction member to grip said drum.

8; In mechanism for retarding mot-ion between two relatively movable elements, a drum adapted to be secured to one of said elements, a friction member in contact with said drum and adapted to be connected to said other element, a member journalled with relation to and` revolvable around said drum, and a spring connecting said drum and said friction member, ythe connection of said spring to said lfriction member being independent of said revolvable member.

4. In mechanism .for retarding motion between two relativ-elyy movable elements, al

drum adapted to be secured to one of said elements, a. friction member in contact withV said drum and adapted to be secured to said other element, a spring connected to said drum and to said friction member, and.

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men-ns independent of seid drum and Said friction member :for maintaining vseid spring within pre-determined limits regardless 0i' the vextent to which vseid spring' may be wound up or unwound.

5. In mechanism for retarding motion between ytwo relatively movable elements, zr drum adapted t0 be Secured te cne of Suid elements, a friction :member in .Contact with said drum and :ida-pied to be secured t0 Said other element, u. spring connected t0 said drum and te said Yfriction member, and means independent of said drum and said friction member for meinte-mingenend .p0r-

ressens tion `of said spring out of rubbing contact f" with ether parts of the mechanism. Y

6. In mechanism for retarding motion between vtwo relatively movable element-s, a drum adapted to be Secured to one ef said elements, a friction member in Contact With seid drum and adapted to be secured `to seid other element, a spring connected to said drum and t0 said friction member, and menne independent of Said drum and said friction member for so transmitting the 25 power-0f said spring as to subject the spring to no lateral twisting stresses.

JOHN VARREN WATSON. 

